CANTON -- One of the town's popular local restaurants, the Crown and Hammer, has changed hands.

The business was purchased April 1 by Jonathan White from previous owner John Rainey, who opened the pub in 2005. White said he will keep the familiar name, as it has ties to the Collins Company, and will look to open the pub back up around May 1. In the deal, White will lease the building from Rainey, and will have control over the business.

"We are going to make some changes to the interior of the building, but people will still recognize it when we re-open," White said in an interview on Friday. "We will be offering up-scale comfort food such as fresh seafood and meatloaf as well as different steaks and pasta dishes. Changes to the menu will be made as the seasons change as well."

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The restaurant was closed for the past several days, leading many Canton residents to wonder about the future of the pub. Changes to the interior will consist of a complete overhaul of the kitchen area, with White doubling the size of the hood. Making this change will allow for a larger area to cook food on as well as a shorter turnaround on orders.

"We'll be able to turn out more product to our patrons quicker," White said.

Aesthetically, the dining area of the restaurant will see a fresh coat of paint, and a refinishing of the floor. Walls used to separate the bar area will remain for the time being, White said. New carpeting on the stairs leading to the second floor of the pub, along with new carpet on the second level will finish the decor.

White plans to keep the restaurant open late on the weekends, and hours will be extended during the week.

"We will be open six days instead of five," he said. "Tuesday through Sunday, closed on Monday."

A bar menu will continue to be served until about 10 p.m. during the week, with the dinner menu ending at 9 p.m. On weekends, the dinner menu will stop at 10 p.m. with the bar menu extended until midnight.

"I want the restaurant to be food-focused," White said. "We will still have offerings to our bar patrons as well, but I want it to be a restaurant first."

White said he will also look to hire most of the current staff back. "People are used to seeing familiar faces when they come in, and some of the staff has been here since the pub first opened."

White has extensive experience in the business as well. For the past three years, he has been the executive chef on a Martha's Vineyard resort, the Farm Neck Golf Club. Before his time there, White worked for several Vermont Ski destinations.

"I have over 30 years in the business and I will also be enlisting my sister to help manage the restaurant," he said. "Sort of a brother and sister operation."

White's sister, Susan Tancredi will manage the front of the restaurant and serve as the floor manager. White will serve as the general manager. For the first four to six months, he said he will also serve as the chef, as he designs the menu. White said re-opening depends on when the restaurant receives it's liquor license from the state. He has filed for it, and said after the renovations are completed and the license has arrived he would re-open.

"We are shooting for May 1, but if everything works out before then, we could open earlier," White said.

One other change that the owner is contemplating is serving breakfast on the weekends. Nothing is certain yet, and White said, "We have to walk before we run," but he did acknowledge the idea is a possibility.

"It's going to be great," White said. "We are looking to offer such things like the Crown Club, a membership card to the pub, as well as continuing live music on the weekends. We are also talking about wine dinners and wine tastings too."

White said that things will be different at the Crown and Hammer, but sometimes change can be good.

Mike Agogliati can be reached by e-mail at magogliati@registercitizen. Follow us on Twitter at @registercitizen or @mikeagogliati.